Seeking: iOS drum machine with the following requirements

So I have elastic drums and finger lab, but both annoy me for different reasons.

I’ll start with elastic drums. I like that you can design your own drum sounds and they’re very cool and you get lot of good sounds out of them, but there is no easy way to switch to an odd time signature or to make your patterns only 2 bars Long. I also can’t seem to find a swing option but I must be totally blind.

Finger lab easily lets you change time signatures to whatever you want and make your pattern as long as you want as well. But it’s just working with sampled drums where as I’d like to be able to design my own sounds myself.

Lastly I don’t like how either software handles effects. I want to be able to individually manipulate every drum sound. So for instance just a Reverb on a snare just a compressor on a kick just a delay on a hat, Etc.

Anything out there that matches these requirements? Thank you

Maybe the poorly named, but otherwise capable “Groove Rider” gr-16 app? It’s an Electribe emulation, allowing for some degree of drum synthesis, variable pattern lengths, effects per track, etc. That said, I don’t use that app, so I’m just going on specs.

Personally, I think Patterning 2.0 is the most compelling iOS drum machine available, but it’s sample based, so…

Cheers!

5 Likes

Amen.

+1

2 Likes

Swing is located in the file section in ED…

2 Likes

Agreed, patterning + your choice of synth for sound design. It’s a great great app

I’ve been going deep into using apematrix to run various AUv3 sequencers and synthesis engines. That running octachron & ruismaker noir is a great launching point for different drum sounds.
Octachron doesn’t have swing at this point tho so maybe too much of a dealbreaker, but there are more sequencer options available. That being said, if patterning went AUv3 I’d buy it immediately.

I use ElasticDrum as well on my iPhone as its the best one I could find for sampling and other engines are dope.

1 Like

I’ve only heard good things. I dont mind that the drums are sampled, I just really like the flexibility of elastic drums.

Elastic Drums into AUM + sequencer of choice.
EDIT: Maybe with Patterning 2 as the sequencer.
I have Patterning v1 and I like it quite a lot. I’ve read v2 has unlimited CC out,
so you could set it up to p-lock (more or less) as many parameters as you want in Elastic Drums. Routing into AUM allows you to have individual processing for each of Elastic Drum’s tracks. And you can also set up effects sends as well.

1 Like

As suggested in the post above, you could use Patterning 2.0 to sequence sounds in Elastic Drums, as well as automate a multitude of other parameters. Depending on how robust the MIDI implementation is in ED, that could get seriously crazy. :slightly_smiling_face:

Cheers!

I wish patterning were also on the iPhone. It’s such a great app, would love to have it everywhere I go!

this thread makes me sad, seeing as I only have an iPhone…

How would that work though? I mean, even if it could be adapted for the smaller, rectangular screen, I really think it would lose its charm.

To that end, honestly, for all the drum machine aficionados around here, and how much people are willing to spend on some of them; in my opinion, Patterning 2.0 alone is worth the purchase of a basic iPad. I can’t stand Apple’s protocols otherwise, but I keep my iPad around for a handful of apps, not the least of which is Patterning 2.0.

Cheers!

not sure if that’s what you’re looking for, but you can change step amount for each channel

Imo the patterning sequencer is more unique and much more fun, but ED rules regarding sound design, sound + effect automation. Both are awesome

1 Like

I like Octachron; it’s had some solid updates of late: Advantages over Patterning 1:

AU

CC sequencing independent of note on / note off

It does. Go to sequencer settings and scroll down. The swing settings are global for the instance. So if different swing times are needed for different parts, open another instance.

1 Like

Apparently Audio Damage plan to port Drum Computer to iOS. I’ve tested the PC demo and found the overall sound a bit flat and lacking power in the kick department. Nevertheless, big drum synthesis possibilities. I reckon it could be very good layered with some bread and butter samples in Patterning.

I love the aesthetic and functionality of the Audio Damage apps; but…

I have Filterstation 2, Quanta, Enzo, and Continua; and, unfortunately, they have all proven buggy on my 2017 iPad 9.7. I keep giving them a shot, because I really want to use them, but something always goes wrong (sigh).

I just made the leap to the iOS 13 ecosystem, so maybe that will help. Chris Randall does seem to live on the proverbial bleeding edge, so chances are that’s where his apps also work best.

We’ll see…

Cheers!

1 Like

I only have their effects. Haven’t used EOS since Toneboosters Reverb, hardly used Grind since Shaper. Shaper is one of the best digital distortion / overdrive / resonators I’ve tried. I wish it was in the OT in place of the Lo-Fi effect!

1 Like

Isn’t Drum Computer Sugar-Bytes? Their iOS offerings (that I own) are rock solid.